Lake Hopatcong man receives three years of probation for posing as a U.S. Secret Service Agent

Google mapsU.S. Department of Health and Human Services building in Washington, D.C.

A Morris County man has been sentenced to three years of probation for posing as a Secret Service agent and entering the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building when it was closed.

Frederick James Nickerson, 47, of Crescent Drive in the Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson Township, flashed a fake badge and credentials to con his way past security, then demanded to meet Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The incident occurred Jan. 2, a Saturday when the building was closed. Nickerson was sentenced on Tuesday.

Jefferson Mayor Russ Felter said he met Nickerson twice, including once at a meeting of the Lake Hopatcong Commission in July 2009.

"He tended to speak like he knew a lot of people" in Washington, D.C., including Lisa Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "He threw some names around and said he was going to Washington."

Pam Garv, a secretary at the Jefferson Township municipal building where Nickerson had gone twice to meet township officials, said the man also left an impression on her.

"I thought he was strange. You could just tell," she said.

Nickerson made it to the sixth floor of the HHS building — just outside of Sebelius’ office — but she was not in the building. He was arrested when employees recognized his name from a list of people banned from federal buildings. Authorities have not said why Nickerson was on that list.

Online court records for D.C. Superior Court show Nickerson was found guilty in May 2007 of simple assault and destruction of property less than $200. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years of probation, and ordered to stay away from a woman.

He also pleaded guilty to stalking and simple assault in two other cases around that same time, and was ordered to stay away from two other people.

Another charge alleging Nickerson impersonated a police officer to enter the D.C. police headquarters in December was dropped as part of his plea bargain agreement.